Each year ANI (Association Nationale d’Iconographes) run open portfolio reviews at VISA Pour L’Image, which is now an integral part of the professional week and one that which many of the attending photographers take advantage of. Based on the work they see, the ANI photo editors will then award ‘Coup de Coeurs’ nominations for the best work and small selections of each nominated story are printed by Canon and exhibited at La Palais de Congrès in Perpignan. Each of the nominated stories then are further analysed in their entirety and whittled to down to a selection of three stories with the final ANI – Pix Palace Award winner being announced at the following year’s VISA Pour L’Image festival. The quality of the feedback on these reviews makes the trip to Perpignan worthwhile on its own and really helps by informing you on what to consider and concentrate on next in moving forward with your work.

All in all it was great week this year with many fantastic images in display throughout the town’s galleries and shops. If you have never been to VISA Pour L’Image then I would say that you should definitely add it to your list for 2015. Hopefully see you there.

I’m very pleased to find out that I have been given a Coup de Coeur nomination for the 2013 ANI Pix Palace prize at this year’s VISA Pour L’Image photojournalism Festival for my photo story ‘Repton’s Rules‘.

ANI (Association Nationale d’Iconographes) do sterling work each year with their open portfolio reviews at VISA and the quality of the feedback makes the trip to Perpignan worthwhile on its own. A lot of the time you find yourself working in isolation in developing stories and it can be hard to find a perspective from which to judge your work. It’s so helpful then to get constructive and professional feedback from portfolio reviews with working photo editors who can inform you on how you are progressing and highlighting any areas that that need tightening up or particular attention.

I’ve been going to VISA Pour L’Image professional week for four years now and each year it just keeps giving back so much more in terms of the friendships you make, the networking possibilities it affords you and the feedback you receive – and this year wasn’t any different. It was so good to see friends like Niklas Meltio(VISA D’Or Daily News Award) and Magda Rakita(Ian Parry Scholarship, Highly Commended) who are now getting the recognition they deserve and taking their careers to the next level.

If you haven’t been to VISA Pour L’Image I would strongly recommend you do, both for the amazing images you will see and experiences you will have.